Healthy Living in Connecticut Blog

I used to be an addict and would eat tons of candy, so you might be surprised that I no longer crave those foods at all. The other day, I walked down the candy aisle while trying to increase my steps for the day. I saw a bag of Skittles and thought to myself that the old me would have eaten the entire bag without even thinking about it.

I picked up the bag to look at the ingredients. As someone who follows a whole food plant-based diet, I wanted to see what kind of ingredients were used in foods I once consumed. The first ingredients listed are sugar and corn syrup. Other ingredients include modified corn starch, water, gelatin, and less than 2% of citric acid, malic acid, natural and artificial flavors, sunflower oil, colors (Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1), and carnauba wax.

Robert Cheeke's upcoming book is set to launch next week, and I'm convinced it's his finest work yet. Having been deeply influenced by "Shred It!" and its companion workout journal, I've followed his literary journey closely. "The Impactful Vegan" promises to guide those already committed to veganism to the next level. For those already vegan, this book will offer invaluable insights into optimizing their lifestyle choices.

.As most of you know, I plan to do some nutrition coaching, as I love helping people transition to a whole food plant based diet. I have seen family and friends reverse diseases with a dietary change. It would be awesome to watch others transition to a healthier lifestyle as well.I only plan to do this on a part time basis, as I’m definitely busy at my full time job and my workout routine. But Helping others overcome health issues is my way of giving back as I reversed my own issues (hypertension and pre-diabetes).

I signed up for Dr. Fuhrman’s Nutrition Coach Certificate program. When if ends in December, I plan to begin coaching. I live this lifestyle and I follow Dr. Fuhrman and other plant based doctors advice. Dr. Fuhrman's teaching have especially resonated with me. When I started my journey 11 years ago. I was morbidly obese, tipping the scales at 350+ pounds.

On Wednesday, July 12, I had the awesome experience of attending the Exam Room podcast live for it's taping while they were in New York City. It was so much fun, and a great opportunity to talk with my plant based peers. I went with my friend Sherri and we both had a blast talking with the podcast host Chuck Carroll, Dr. Neal Barnard, Dr. Michelle McMacken, Dr. Robert Ostfeldt and Rip Esselstyn of PlantStrong.

I haven’t been to many gatherings since COVID, so it was so nice to be out there and without masks once again. The food was awesome too, especially the dessert. All vegan of course!

The other day, when I was in a store, someone approached me that I hadn’t seen in a while. We used to go to the same gym. He said “you need to gain some weight, you’re getting too skinny.” This stunned me as I am the same weight I’ve been for the past 5 years, having leveled off at around 195 pounds. At 6'3" tall, this seems like my ideal weight. It made me think of what Dr. Fuhrman said many times. The average American has no idea what a normal weight looks like.

I just looked up what my BMI (Body Mass Index) is and it’s at 24.5. This is actually a little high, not that I want to get a BMI any lower. This seems to be where my body wants to be, as I eat Nutritarian foods. When you eat fruit, vegetables, legumes, grains, nuts and seeds, you get a variety of nutrients and your body gets what it needs to keep going at a steady weight. I do not worry about losing weight or gaining weight. When I was obese, I feared I would never stop gaining. It actually feels like freedom knowing I don’t have to worry about weight gain (or loss).